Approaches

We talked about how the approaches to a teams’ base need to provide
variations in play style so that more players find the style of
approach that they enjoy best and can also have the opportunities to try
different styles against their adversaries. In this lesson I want to
discuss making the approaches interesting through the bases’ Geometry.
That is, I want to discuss how a Lobby can help add to the map’s overall
fun for a wider group of players by providing more options to the
players invading a base.

Lobby

A Lobby is the term I will use to refer to an anti-chamber, or small
room or tunnel, that leads directly into the main Space. For the purpose
of this discussion, we will look at base design, but the concepts are
useful through out a map. Players can use a Lobby in several ways, such
as a staging area, a stealth approach under cover, and a recovery area
after a mad rush to the enemy base. The Lobby accomplishes each of these
through the common feature in the Geometry that provides cover both
from adversaries in the base and outside the base.

Staging Area

Remember we said that a base with opposing ingress Paths helps make
it possible for a team to coordinate a push from opposing directions, in
essences creating a flanking maneuver against anyone in the base? Well,
having a Lobby along one of the ingress Paths helps to setup such a
push. One or two of the players can move into the Lobby and wait for the
rest of their team to setup their approach on the other side of the
enemy base. They can essentially hide in the Lobby, so long as their
adversaries guarding the base don’t make regular rounds to check the
various approaches.

The effectiveness of a Lobby being a staging area is in part due to
its Geometry. If it’s doorways do not allow being observed readily from
either the exterior or the interior of the base, then it makes a great
hiding room to wait in.

Take the upper tunnel to Longbows’ base back against the mountains.
Since most players remain down below, anyone in the upper tunnel is
generally safe.

Take the lobby to Boneyard’s ship in Invasion. Even if the Spartans
knew the Elites were in there, often times they realized that it was
safer to just stand back and wait for the Elites to emerge, rather than
be taken down as they moved through the doorway (which had a very
narrow, yet sharp corner). It was generally an effective staging area in
many cases.

Take the lower tunnel into the bases on Standoff. Once far enough
into the tunnel, you could not be seen; yet, you didn’t have to emerge
into the next room of the base. And even if you did, it tended to act as
a Lobby as well (so long as the guards didn’t make their rounds down
there).

Stealth Approach

So many times I have seen players approach in Stealth through a Lobby
before springing into action when the base empties out (when his
adversaries all go outside). The Lobby’s Geometry offers cover from
being seen, particularly after the Active Camo runs dry.

Once in the Lobby, the player can slowly sneak up to the base proper,
such as the flag room, and wait for the room to become empty before
making a run for the flag.

Recovery Area

Another use for Lobbies is the protection their Geometry offers when a
player is making a mad rush for the base and is being shot at along the
way. If he successfully reaches the Lobby, he can rest and recharge his
shields while his adversaries are making their way to where he is at.
The Lobby buys him time to recharge, while not directly moving into the
base proper.

Summary

A Lobby can make a base more interesting by offering a place to stage for a coordinate push.

Lobbies can be fun for players that enjoy the stealth approach (to the enemy flag for example).

Lobbies can also double as protective areas to recover and recharge shields in before moving further into the base.